10 February. Today, the biggest news comes from the Kursk direction in Russia.
- Screenshot from Reporting From Ukraine’s video.
Here, Ukrainian forces launched an extensive shaping operation in preparation for their renewed offensive southeast of Sudzha, targeting Russian command posts, artillery, and logistics designed to undermine the Russian response. As the Ukrainian precision strikes decapitated the Russian command structure, Ukrainians were able to consolidate their gains, and have pushed up much further than initially thought.
- Screenshot from Reporting From Ukraine’s video.
Ukrainian forces continue offensive in Kursk Oblast
The Ukrainian forces initiated their counteroffensive effort south of Sudzha with a series of precision strikes against the Russian artillery units, frontline logistics, and command posts, to delay their response to the Ukrainian assaults.
- Screenshot from Reporting From Ukraine’s video.
Frontline Report: Ukrainian forces break through 4.5 km deep in surprise Kursk offensive
ATACMS missile strike eliminates Russian and North Korean officers
First, Ukrainians detected and launched a precision strike against a Russian command post with ATACMS missiles, which resulted in the elimination of key Russian officers responsible for coordinating and planning their operations in the Kursk Salient. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later confirmed this and stated that the Ukrainian strike against a Russian command post successfully killed dozens of Russian and North Korean officers, severely undermining the Russian command and control structure in Kursk.
Ukrainian drones destroy Russian artillery and supply lines
Ukrainians also decided to target Russian artillery systems to simultaneously undermine the Russian artillery support capabilities. Geolocated footage from the area reveals how the Ukrainian drone operators successfully hunted down and destroyed a rare Russian 2S42 Malva self-propelled gun with an FPV kamikaze drone. More footage shared by Russian soldiers showed a Grad multiple rocket launch system burning and cooking off after another successful Ukrainian strike.
Lastly, Ukrainians targeted Russian logistics and reinforcement routes closer to the front, causing preliminary Russian positions to run low on manpower and ammunition before the Ukrainian assaults. Combat footage reveals the destruction of Russian forces’ accumulations and reinforcement routes by drone strikes from Plekhovo to Giri, undermining the Russian capability to adequately respond to the Ukrainian attacks.
The main goal of the Ukrainian forces for the next day of their renewed counteroffensives was to build on their gains from the previous day, capitalizing on the temporary disruption and disorganization among the Russian forces.
Ukraine strengthens defenses along the Psel River
This is in continued pursuit of their goal of gaining a larger buffer zone south of Sudzha, denying Russians an easy assault vector into the town and forcing them to conduct drawn-out grinding battles to retake the territory. By expanding their control area, the Ukrainian forces could also secure positions along the Psel River and fortify them, denying Russian forces any chance of easily attacking and entering the southern part of Sudzha.
However, with the threat of Russian fiber-optic controlled drones, which are immune to any current form of electronic countermeasures, Ukrainians opted not to launch more mechanized assaults, as reports indicated that Russians had transferred a significant amount of drone detachments to counter further Ukrainian mechanized threats.
Instead, Ukrainian soldiers utilized the cover of the forests to protect them from fiber optic drones, effectively advancing and eliminating the remaining Russian forces that attempted to organize resistance in the forest belts near the Ukrainian gains. Furthermore, recently published footage from Russian drone operators indicates that Ukrainians have advanced much further than initially thought, as Russian sources indicate they are struggling to contain the situation in Ulanok.
Implications of the Kursk offensive on broader war dynamics
Overall, Ukrainians conducted an incredibly effective shaping operation in preparation for their counterattacks south of Sudzha, and continued to gain ground with each day.
The decapitation of the Russian command structure, the strikes on Russian artillery and counterbattery capabilities, and the undermining of Russian frontline positions’ logistics network all played a crucial role in the sudden success of Ukrainian forces here. Continued operations in this area will allow the Ukrainian forces to advance further east while forming a powerful line of defense along the Psel River.
In our daily frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Related:
- Ukraine repels 16-hour Russian-North Korean infantry assault in Kursk Oblast (video)
- Forbes: Ukraine adopts Russian probe-and-attack tactics in Kursk Oblast
- ISW: Ukrainians advance 5 kilometers in new Kursk Oblast offensive
- Ukraine’s ranger corps receives tanks for special operations
- Ukrainians strike southern Russian airfield in Primorsko-Akhtarsk
- Kursk operation caused 40,000 Russian casualties in six months, Ukraine’s GenStaff says
